Chapter 526: Li Lao's Opinion

After leaving the Governor's Office, Lu Fan went to the office of Deputy Secretary‑General Li Bo‑ning of the Provincial Government and eagerly read through the document "Several Opinions on Supporting Nanyuan City to Accelerate Its Construction as a Provincial Sub‑center," whose twenty‑six "hardcore" endorsements made Lu Fan feel extremely exhilarated; with favorable timing, geography, and people, Nanyuan stands at the windward of historical development, and next year will achieve great deeds, gather momentum, and flourish!

Lu Fan hurriedly called Mayor Su Xiang Hai, relayed this favorable news, and asked the City Government to increase the "New Year greetings" effort toward Provincial Directly‑administered Departments, especially those bureaus with projects, urging the corresponding Vice Mayor to visit in person to lay the groundwork for next year's funding, projects, and policies.

Su Xiang Hai attached great importance, immediately set aside his current work, went to the province, and personally coordinated with key departments such as the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Finance Department, Agriculture Department, Water Affairs Department, and Industry and Information Technology Department.

A little after ten in the morning, Lu Fan arrived at the office of Executive Deputy Provincial Governor Huang Chongzhou and chatted for about twenty minutes. In the afternoon, he queued to visit other Deputy Provincial Governors, showing a very respectful attitude, after all, courtesy is never blamed.

On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, Municipal Party Secretary Lu Fan spent a day visiting and consoling disadvantaged Party members and masses, disadvantaged veterans, retired senior cadres, families of cadres, non‑Party persons, religious figures, and talent representatives; they presented rice cakes, rice, peanut oil and other consolation gifts, conveyed the Party and government's warm care, and extended sincere New Year greetings and best wishes.

Around the time work was about to end in the afternoon, Lu Fan chaired an emergency Standing Committee meeting, examined the City Government's matters concerning the disbursement of year‑end bonuses, and finally resolved that counties, districts, and departments rated as Excellent would receive 18,000 yuan, and those rated as Competent would receive 16,000 yuan. City Directly‑administered Departments would have their funds arranged by City Finance, while the bonuses for each county and district would be 30% covered by City Finance, the remaining funds to be raised independently.

Lu Fan emphasized that each county and district should set its own bonus disbursement standards, insisting on "acting within capacity" and prohibiting expenditures from "transfer payments". If local finances are tight, the distribution should be adjusted accordingly.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, most units "secretly" began shift rotations, and cadres returned home to prepare for the New Year.

However, tonight was different from previous nights; cadres of City Directly‑administered units who earned Excellent or Competent ratings received a call from the office demanding them to come to the unit to "collect their bonuses"!

The cadres arrived at the unit with bewildered faces and boundless anticipation, and were surprised to actually receive bonuses of over ten thousand yuan!

In an instant, Nanyuan City turned into a sea of joy; every unit was filled with laughter and cheers, cadres' faces radiated uncontrollable delight, they danced with excitement, congratulated one another, and shared this sudden surprise and happiness.

When everyone learned that the bonuses were strongly advocated by Secretary Lu, comrades were thrilled, their hearts full of deep respect and gratitude toward Secretary Lu, and they shouted "Lu is awesome!"

However, the cadres who missed out on the bonuses were left wretched; as the saying goes, "One's fate is hard, cannot blame the government," they could only sigh silently, blaming their own units and leaders for not being aggressive enough!

The bonus distribution, like a massive stone thrown into a lake, created a huge ripple across the whole city, generating a tremendous sensational effect. It made every county, district, and department realize the importance of work, and rang a warning bell for all: only by giving one's all and diligently completing one's duties with high quality can one obtain the deserved rewards; conversely, if one slacks off or goes through the motions, honor and benefits will slip away, and one will later be held accountable.

On the morning of the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lu Fan, accompanied by Secretary Cheng Haohao, went to the provincial capital and met with Governor Liu Linghao and Political and Legal Committee Secretary Wang Jinwu, then continued onward to Jingcheng.

Wang Jinwu is now very troubled; the role of Political and Legal Committee Secretary is rather awkward, as the only upward step is to become Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, but competition is fierce. If he moves to the Provincial Government, only the Executive Deputy Provincial Governor is even a possibility; all other positions are out of consideration. He is stuck—cannot advance upward nor descend, and another two years of drifting would make his age no longer an advantage, leaving him in a dilemma. He also has strong political aspirations, which he has already discussed with Lu Fan; this trip to Jingcheng is intended to seek a positional adjustment.

After landing, the group headed straight to North Headquarters Alley, where Lu Fan unexpectedly saw Xinzhong Mayor Ma Yuxiang and Xushu Mayor Li Haojie. Although he only had a nodding acquaintance with them in Huayuan Province, a visit makes them guests, and Lu Fan warmly greeted the two.

With two days left before the New Year, guests arrived continuously; Li Lao received influential leaders such as Liu Linghao and Wang Jinwu in his study, while Lu Fan entertained everyone in the living room.

Nowadays, Lu Fan no longer sees himself as an outsider; he has gradually become the "main pillar" of the Li family, a result of his position.

After a busy day, not calming down until after six o'clock, Lu Fan dined with Li Lao.

After the meal, Lu Fan went to the study to keep Li Lao company for tea and conversation.

After arranging the tea set, Lu Fan skillfully brewed Pu'er, and Li Lao laughed, "Xiao Fan, your achievements this year are quite good; many people have praised you in front of me, far better than your father, who in Xihai Province never did anything decent!"

Lu Fan defended his father‑in‑law, saying, "Grandpa, Xihai Province has special circumstances; since ancient times, 'peace on the western frontier' has been the greatest mission and expectation. If he were in another place, my father could certainly achieve results!"

"It's time to make a move!" Li Lao paused briefly, then said, "Xiao Fan, it's rare that you performed so outstandingly in Nanyuan; honestly, you exceeded my expectations. A few days ago, Wang Hongtao visited our home, and the next step may involve a slight reshuffle of the Huayuan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government leadership team, giving you another chance to advance!"

Lu Fan replied earnestly, "Grandpa, if possible, I would like to stay in Nanyuan for another two years; I feel there are many ideas I haven't had the chance to implement."

Li Lao said earnestly, "Xiao Fan, life is ever‑changing; there is no perfect solution, only weighing pros and cons. You must place your steps correctly now, so that later you can walk higher and farther to achieve greater ambitions. Do not confine yourself to a corner nor cling to a single end; your future is vast! Moreover, adjustment is only an idea; before it materializes you still have time to work hard. If you cannot manage, you may choose a suitable successor and still develop Nanyuan according to your vision. Many matters do not require you to do everything personally; setting direction, overseeing the big picture, making decisions, promoting reform, and ensuring implementation are what a competent leader should do."

Lu Fan nodded convincingly, "Grandpa, I hear you; if there is a chance, I will certainly strive for it."

"That's right. Li Hongzhang once wrote a poem: 'A man with a single hand can seize Wu and Yue; his spirit soars higher than a ten‑thousand‑foot tower. In ten thousand years, who writes history? Beyond three thousand li, one seeks a marquisate.' The larger your vision, the broader your path, and the greater your life's achievements. The so‑called 'vision' is essentially the height of the goals you pursue, the breadth of your outlook, the depth of your thinking, and your composure in dealing with matters. In public affairs, one must plan far ahead and cannot be greedy for short‑term gains alone."

"Grandpa, today I saw Xinzhong Municipal Party Secretary Ma Yuxiang and Xushu Mayor Li Haojie also arrive; I don't recall them ever coming to the house before?"

Li Lao said lightly, "They were cadres reassigned when I left Huayuan; they were previously only at the deputy‑department level!"

Lu Fan understood; even that small step at the doorway is a threshold!

Li Lao added, "But since you work in Huayuan, they can be allies for unity; both have aspirations for progress."

"Alright, Grandpa, I understand!"

At eight p. m., Lu Fan returned home; his son rushed over happily, and Li Zimeng also helped her husband with bags and hanging coats.

Finally home, we can spend the New Year solidly!

A brief parting beats a new marriage; a long parting rivals a first love; a night without words!

On the morning of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, the family drove to the airport to pick up Li Mingzhou and Lu Yao.

During the wait, Li Zimeng said to Lu Fan, "You, as the older brother, aren't you going to look after your sister? How old is Yao Yao now? Still hasn't found a partner? Are you just watching her grow old alone?"

"Alas!" Lu Fan sighed, "When a girl grows up, she's no longer under her brother's control; I don't think I can manage that. It's hard enough to gather for the New Year; if we press the issue everyone gets upset. I'll find a chance to talk to her."

"Honey, Aunt Wang Rong has come to our house several times; I feel Yao Yao doesn't reject Chen Xu, but they barely interact. Two introverts meeting each other both act 'deep'; I think you, as the older brother, can do something; you need to push Yao Yao!"

"Okay, okay, okay, we'll figure it out for the New Year!"

A little after noon, Lu Yao emerged from the airport, saw her nephew, immediately hugged him and spun around, joyfully saying, "Let aunt pamper me well!"

Xiao Yuxuan said in a baby‑like voice, "Auntie, hi! Miss you, aunt!"

Those two words made Lu Yao even more heart‑torn; she held him in her arms and simply couldn't bear to let go.

Lu Fan couldn't help but say, "Yao Yao, it's time to think about marriage; you're grown, you're already Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee, aren't you still immature?" The remark dampened the mood a bit.

Lu Yao pursed her lips, stayed silent, and focused on playing with her nephew.

After a while, Li Mingzhou smiled as he emerged from the airport, his secretary walking step‑for‑step beside him.

After getting into the car, the family headed straight to North Headquarters Alley for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Cradling his grandson, Li Mingzhou's eyes were full of indulgence; now Lu Yao had nothing to worry about.

After arriving home, Li Zijun's family also came; after Lu Fan exchanged greetings, he called Li Zihan aside and expressed his gratitude to her again.

Li Zihan said indifferently, "Brother‑in‑law, we're all family; if you keep being so polite I'll get angry!"

Li Siwei stepped forward, "Brother‑in‑law, you're being a bit preferential! I feel I've put in a lot more effort!"

Lu Fan laughed, "That's different; your investment in Nanyuan is a win‑win, Zihan merely helped; the music festival and concerts have greatly boosted Nanyuan's national visibility, and when those two movies are released, the effect will be even better!"

Watching several younger relatives sit together, chatting animatedly, Li Lao displayed a satisfied smile. As the family patriarch who has weathered countless storms, his greatest wish is for harmonious family relations, and in his eyes Lu Fan, the grandson‑in‑law, is flawless!